Press Releases

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 19, 2019): The College Crusade of Rhode Island will celebrate the success of 12,000 Crusaders over the last three decades with a 30th anniversary gala on Sept. 27 at the Pawtucket Armory Arts Center.

The College Crusade has inspired thousands of the state’s students to believe that a college education is within their reach and has provided them with the tools, programs and scholarships to help ensure they achieve it. The 30th Anniversary Gala will raise funds to ensure that the next generation of students have the support they need to succeed in high school and college.

Centreville Bank has generously committed to serve as Host Sponsor, and Centreville President and CEO Harold M. Horvat will serve as honorary chair of the event.

“We are honored to support one of our state’s most impactful and consistent resources to help lower-income students attain high school, college and career success,” said Horvat. “This donation signifies Centreville Bank’s commitment to Rhode Island students and aligns with our mission to support nonprofits in Rhode Island.”

At the event, the Crusade also will announce its plans to make even greater impact on equitable high school and college success for Rhode Island students in the years to come.

“We are truly grateful and excited to have Centreville Bank as our host sponsor and partner in our mission,” said Andrew Bramson, president and CEO of the College Crusade of Rhode Island. “Centreville Bank’s support will help ensure that the next generation of Rhode Island students have equitable opportunities and support to become successful, contributing members of our communities.”

The event, which will begin at 6:30, will include inspirational stories, a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres and food stations, entertainment and more. For more information, for sponsorship information or to purchase tickets, visit thecollegecrusade.org/30years.

Other event sponsors are Junior Sponsor: University of Rhode Island; Sophomore Sponsor: Rhode Island College; and Freshman Sponsors: Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island; Cox; Collette; City of Central Falls; Webster Bank; New England Institute of Technology; Roger Williams University; and Pawtucket Credit Union.

The College Crusade, Rhode Island’s largest college access program, supports about 4,000 first-generation, low-income students in middle school, high school and college each year with the one-on-one advising and year-round programs that focus on academic enrichment, social and emotional development, career education, and postsecondary preparation. The College Crusade also has awarded over $43 million in college scholarships to more than 5,000 Rhode Island students since 2001. Sixth-graders who attend traditional public schools and select public charter schools in Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket and West Warwick are

eligible to enroll in the College Crusade.

About the Centreville Bank Charitable Foundation

The Centreville Bank Charitable Foundation was established as a nonprofit charitable

organization in 2006 by the Board of Trustees to further the philanthropic mission of Centreville Bank. The Foundation’s goal is to partner with local nonprofit organizations that work to strengthen, grow and contribute to the well-being of the communities that we serve.

About Centreville Bank

Founded in 1828 and headquartered in West Warwick, Rhode Island, Centreville Bank has seven branch locations in Coventry, Cranston, East Greenwich, Narragansett, West Greenwich, West Warwick and North Kingstown, and assets of $1.2 billion.

PROVIDENCE, R.I., (Oct. 12, 2018) – The College Crusade of Rhode Island was honored on Oct. 11 in Washington, D.C., by Excelencia in Education with a 2018 Examples of Excelencia award. The award is presented to programs that have shown evidence-based results in improving Latino student success in higher education.

Examples of Excelencia, sponsored annually by Excelencia in Education, is the only national initiative that recognizes and celebrates programs at the forefront of advancing educational achievement for Latino students.

This year 139 programs from 27 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico were nominated for an award, and four were chosen. Excelencia in Education made the announcement at its annual Celebración de Excelencia event, held at the historic Mayflower Hotel. The audience included higher education leaders, decision makers, and grant makers from across the country.

“It is a privilege to accept this award on behalf of our dedicated students and their families,” said Andrew Bramson, president and CEO of The College Crusade. “The young people in our program work hard over many years to achieve their goals and often confront multiple obstacles on their way to postsecondary success. Our role is to help them learn to overcome these challenges. Our program supports them every step of the way – from middle school through high school and into college. Both the data we see and the stories we hear from our students tell us our support makes a difference in their lives, and we are proud to congratulate them for their accomplishments.”

“I’m proud to congratulate The College Crusade on having its great work recognized by Excelencia in Education,” said Brenda Dann-Messier, Rhode Island’s commissioner of postsecondary education and a College Crusade board member. “The College Crusade is an important partner in our work to increase postsecondary attainment in Rhode Island. The college-readiness programming and advising they provide help thousands of our state’s first-generation students, especially Latino students, prepare for higher education.”

As a recognized Example of Excelencia, The College Crusade is profiled in Excelencia in Education’s 2018 edition of “What Works For Latino Students in Higher Education” compendium and is featured in their “Growing What Works Database,” the nation’s largest database providing tactical information about how to improve Latino student success. More information about the 2018 awards is available in Excelencia‘s announcement.

The mission of The College Crusade is to increase high school graduation, college and career readiness, and college completion for youth in Rhode Island’s low-income communities. For more information, visit www.thecollegecrusade.org.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (June 25, 2018) – The College Crusade of Rhode Island today released its 11th annual report card, which details the impact of its work to increase the college readiness and success of Rhode Island’s low-income students.

The new report shows that students who are members of The College Crusade have graduated from high school, enrolled in higher education, and persisted in college at increasingly higher rates. From 2012 to 2017, for example, the high school graduation rate for College Crusade students grew steadily, and in 2017 it exceeded the rate for all Rhode Island students. The report also shows substantial growth in college enrollment rates for College Crusade students over the same time period.

“I am excited to announce that this edition of our annual report card continues to show that we are making progress in our mission to increase educational success for youth in Rhode Island’s low-income communities,” said Edwin Pacheco, chair of The College Crusade board of directors. “For the first time, all our major success metrics are greater than 80 percent. These results demonstrate that the advisory services and programming we provide are having a measurable positive impact on college readiness for Rhode Island youth. They also show the tremendous amount of hard work and determination our students are devoting to accomplishing their educational goals.”

“My journey to college has been filled with lots of ups and downs and sacrifices for me and my mother,” said Carlos Ferman, who graduated from Providence Career & Technical Academy this spring. “All along the way, The College Crusade has supported me more than I can say, especially with helping me develop my math and public speaking skills and taking me on tours of colleges that I never would have been able to visit on my own. When I was younger, college wasn’t something I thought of doing. I grew up with people who had dreams but were never able to fulfill them. Now I am chasing the dream of becoming an architect. I want to design buildings that are lasting works of art and that will be there long after I am gone.” This fall, Carlos will enroll at Roger Williams University with plans to pursue a B.A. in Architecture.

“I congratulate The College Crusade of Rhode Island for the solid results they are achieving in supporting low-income and first-generation students on the path to higher education,” said Postsecondary Commissioner Brenda Dann-Messier. “The indicators in this new annual report card show that the support The College Crusade provides leads to concrete, meaningful outcomes for students. Especially now, when postsecondary attainment is recognized as crucial to the economic vitality of our state, the work of The College Crusade has never been more important.”

The 2018 report card compares six years of high school graduation rates for College Crusade students to rates for all Rhode Island students and all Rhode Island students who qualify for free or reduced school lunch. From 2012 to 2017, graduation rates for College Crusade students increased from 70 percent to 86 percent. During the same period, rates for all Rhode Island students rose more slowly, from 77 percent to 84 percent, and rates for students who qualify for free or reduced school lunch increased from 66 percent to 76 percent.

The report card also shows data for postsecondary enrollment and persistence. Between 2012 and 2017, the rate of College Crusade students enrolling in college within one year of high school graduation increased from 69 percent to 84 percent. Between 2014 and 2016, the percentage of College Crusade students attending four-year colleges who returned for a second year, or persisted, grew from 80 percent to 83 percent. First-year persistence rates are a commonly used measure to indicate the likelihood of degree completion.

On June 26, The College Crusade will gather with supporters to mark the achievements attained in the 2018 annual report card with an event called “Celebrate the 80s” from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Free Play Bar & Arcade, 182 Pine Street, Providence. Admission is $10, and the public is invited.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (April 10, 2018) – Visits to 12 colleges, a Getting to College Workshop, and several specialized programs for high school and middle school students are highlights of April school vacation for hundreds of students in The College Crusade of Rhode Island.

Between April 16 and 20, College Crusade students will visit institutions of higher education all over the region, including American International College, Boston College, Brandeis University, Bridgewater State University, Brown University, Eastern Connecticut State College, Johnson & Wales University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pine Manor College, Quinnipiac University, University of Rhode Island, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Students will tour campuses, talk with undergraduates, and learn firsthand about the opportunities and challenges of college life.

The week kicks off with a daylong Getting to College workshop that teaches high school students how to master various elements of the college application and admission process. Other school vacation programs for high school students include Mechatronics, a five-day STEAMM program designed by the Center for Dynamic Learning in Providence, and Project Open Door, a weeklong workshop in digital photography hosted by Rhode Island School of Design.

High school seniors will participate in a weeklong experience in the Opportunity Network’s Career Fluency curriculum, focusing on College Preparation, Transition, and Success. Custom-designed programs for middle school students feature hands-on workshops in Oceanography and Rhode Island History.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Jan. 17, 2018) – The College Crusade of Rhode Island is offering dozens of college readiness and success programs for local students and families this winter. The topics range from academic enrichment and leadership development to postsecondary preparation and career awareness.

In Saturday Math Academy, for example, middle school students spend 10 Saturdays learning and practicing math skills that will help them succeed in their school classrooms. In ReadMore, more than 80 sixth graders meet every Saturday throughout the school year to improve their reading skills. In a Saturday Forensics program, eighth graders hone their lab skills and problem-solving abilities. In a ten-week Critical Thinking & Writing Workshop based at Providence College, middle school and high school students engage in critical thinking, large- and small-group discussions, and individual writing about the media.

Special winter programs for high school students include SAT Test Prep classes, a robotics workshop based at Brown University (see photo above), and dual enrollment courses offered in partnership with the Community College of Rhode Island that allow students to earn college credits. Throughout the winter, all College Crusade students also have the opportunity to attend Cru Club, a customized afterschool and Saturday program that includes college advising and adult mentoring, homework help, study-skills and life-skills workshops, career decision-making activities, and service learning projects. In addition, The College Crusade’s weekly family engagement workshops help parents support their children’s educational success and personal development, and the organization’s college success programs provide undergraduate students with ongoing advising and monthly meetings on campus.